Jain Journal 2000 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 38

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JAIN JOURNAL : Vol-XXXIV, No. 4 April 2000 never. Thus, peculiar situation of the prince revolting against the crown would have been fatal to Amoghavarşa, but for the timely intervention of Bankēya of Cellakētana family, Jaina dynasty, who stood firm by the king like Olympus. Bankēya alias Bankarāja, with his political wisdom tactfully handled the aggravated and complex situation, bridged the gulf and saved the prestige of both the king and prince. Bankēya, Duke of Banavasi, was amply rewarded by the overwhelmed emperor who showered bounties. The modern Bankāpura town in Dharwar District was named after Vira-Bankēya. Lokațe alias Lākāditya, son of Bankēya, was made the governor of that provine. During Lākāditya's time, ācārya Gunabhadra completed the last cantos of Mahāpurāņa, at Bankāpura in the year A.D. 897.
Since he was deeply interested in Jainism Amõghavarşa formally renounced the Rāştrakūta throne and took to practising the tenets of Jainism. His son Subhatunga Kșsna-II Akālavarşa was trained under the guidance of ācārya Guņabhadra. Thus, Nrpatunga Amoghavarşa and Krsna, the father and son, were the disciple of Jinasena and Guņabhadra, guru and sisya. Krsna-II also extended his patronage to Jainism.
Jaina writers continued to flood the early phase of Rāştrakūta period. Māņikyanandin wrote Parikṣāmukha on which a commentary was written by his follower Prabhācandra, called Pramēya-kamalamārtanda. Prabhācandra also wrote another commentary on Akalanka's Laghiya-straya, called Nyāya-kumuda-Candrodaya. Later Indranandi (C.E. 930) produced Samayabhūsana, Śrtāvatāra, Nitisära and Jvālinikalpa Indranandi was the preceptor of Ponna (C.E. 965), a major Kannada poet of the Rāştrakūta period. Indranandi has recorded some of the orthodox and heterodox Jaina schools and sects in his Nitisāra.
Again during the reign of Krsna-III (A.D. 938-968), the last recognised emperor of the Rāştrakūta dynasty, Jainism reached greater heights expanding on all fronts. Sõmadevasūri was the distinguished productive writer of the age. He was a monk disciple of Nēmadēva of Dēva-samgha, a cohort of Mülasamgha, the original congregation. Sõmadevasūri composed Yasas-tilaka-campūin A.D. 959-60, the date synchronising with the then Rāştrakūța emperor's victorious camp at Mēlpāti. Krsna-III, repulsing the Pandyas, the Simhaļa, the Auca and the Cērama, had camped at Mēlpāți. Vägarāja alias Baddega, elder son of Arikesari-II, a feudatory of Krsna-III and king of Vēmulavāda branch of Cālukyas, had patronised the work of Yasastilakacampū, an unmatched classic of its type, composed in Sanskrit. It can be compared with the Kadambari or Tilak-Manjari. Sõmadevasūri has also authored